Objective: This study aimed at determining the prevalence of various skin disorders among pediatric patients attending outpatient clinics of the dermatology department of a children’s hospital in Ankara.

Material and Methods: 4025 child patients aged between 0-16 years and attending our dermatology outpatients clinic between January 2011 and December 2011 were examined and assessed prospectively. A total of 143 different skin diseases were diagnosed. The prevalence of these skin diseases and their distribution by age and sex were investigated.

Results: There were 2088 (51.9 %) female and 1937 (48.1%) male patients. The ten most common diseases in all age groups in order of frequency were contact dermatitis (15.6%), warts (8.7%), atopic dermatitis (7.8%), acne vulgaris (6.9%), seborrheic dermatitis (4.3%), insect bites (3.6 %), molluscum contagiosum (2.9%), keratosis pilaris (2.6%), xerosis (2.4%), and urticaria (2.2%). Acne vulgaris, keratosis pilaris, telogen effl uvium and xerosis were more common among girls while atopic dermatitis, pityriasis alba, urticaria and alopecia areata were more common among boys. The assessment of the patients with respect to age groups revealed that the highest rate of presentation was in the 6-11 years age group with a rate of 32.7%. Atopic dermatitis was the most common skin disorder in the 0-2 years age group (63%), contact dermatitis in the 3-5 years and 6-11 years age groups (23% and 33% respectively) and acne vulgaris in the 12-16 years age group (87%). The assessment of the patients with respect to seasonal distribution revealed

Keywords: Childhood, Skin diseases, Epidemiology